naruto:the deceiver
by Michae55
Summary: What if the happy go lucky persona, naruto adopts is a mask. A mask that hides true intelligence and malice within.
1. The beginning

A new day has began, sleeping peacefully in his bed. A young boy about 12 years of age, woke up with quick suddenness as the alarm clock next to his bed rang on with a shrill sound echoing across the room. Rubbing his eyes out as the last remnants of sleepiness left him. He switched the still ringing alarm clock off, and went on to his daily morning ritual. His tan face, with whisker marks on his cheeks, still with tiredness appeared on the mirror as he brushed his teeth, his spiky blonde hair covering his eyes. Then suddenly yesterday's events flashback to him.

'what a fool mizuki was'

Thought to himself the boy named naruto, as he remembered yesterday's events. Where he failed the genin exams at the academy but later on, his teacher mizuki would tell him that there is another way to pass the exam, and that is by stealing the forbidden scroll at the hokage tower, only for him to find out later that night mizuki has deceived him. Mizuki planned to use him as a scapegoat so he can walk away free with the forbidden scroll, not only that mizuki revealed that he hated naruto from the beginning and that is the part where he learned the reason why people hated him. It turns out the now deceased 4th hokage didn't kill the 9 tailed fox, said to be the strongest of tailed beasts as it attacked konoha. Tailed beasts can't be killed because they are immortal, so the 4th hokage did the best thing, he used a dangerous fuinjutsu to seal the Fox inside a baby. That baby is him as he was the only one born on the 8th of October.

'then again its not like I haven't already deduced that' thought naruto rolling his eyes at the mirror.

'i mean its obvious, with the villagers hating and glaring at me whenever I pass them. How stupid does this village think I am! Some of them aren't trying to hide it, calling me a demon whenever I'm close by'

With that he finished his morning routine. Then he opened up his closet for clothes finding only his usual get up consisting of orange jumpsuits with the occasional white shirts.

'kami! The only thing I hate about pretending being stupid and acting oblivious is wearing these monstrous clothes'

Of course he realized that there is nothing he can do about it, as the villagers tend to overprice him whenever he goes shopping and these jumpsuits are the cheapest along with ramen. The only benefit they have is furthering his idiot persona he tends to adopt whenever he is around people. He found that long ago if he hides his intelligence behind a mask, people tend to underestimate him, which suited him just fine as he has no intention of revealing himself just yet. After all the one rule about being a shinobi is never revealing ones secret and he plans to stick by it. He doesn't care if he is being traitorous by doing this, after all he is not the only one keeping secrets, with the 3rd hokage constantly refusing to tell him about his parentage and pariah status.

'once I'm done using all of the village's resources to further my own training, I will leave it to rot on its own destruction' venomously thought naruto as he finished wearing his clothes and began his venture to ichiraku's ramen stand. The ichiraku owner along with his daughter Ayame are the only people who don't hate him with the exception of the 3rd hokage and his academy teacher Iruka amino. For that he will always be great full to them for their kindness but it's not enough for him to stop leaving the village as they are only the minority in a village filled with people that hate him. He begins to notice the glares people give him as he walks along the crowded Street but as usual he ignored them and responded by putting on his mask, giving them his foxy grin showing his teeth.

"ah! Welcome to ichiraku ramen" jovially said an old man with short brown hair, who appeared to be in his early to mid fifties, wearing a grey shirt, and dark jeans both obscured by a white apron, and a white cap on.

"what can I get you this time kid? The usual? We also have a special addition"

"nah! I don't have enough money for that. I'll have the usual miso ramen please, oh! And don't forget to make them three" enthusiastically responded naruto, putting on his idiot mask in full effect'itseffect.

'its kind of funny no one ever notices this, then again its not like anyone would take time to get to know me personally' inwardly thought naruto while rapidly chowing down his noodles 'even the 3rd hokage, the ichiraku' s and Iruka don't know the real me'

"oh! Hey naruto! I heard you passed the exams, congrats!" cordially said a young girl with brown hair and short bangs across her face, who appeared to be about 15 years of age, with the same apron and cap as the old man.

"huh? " a puzzled naruto said broken out of his musings while strands of noodles dangle from his mouth" oh hey Ayame! I told you I'll make it, just you watch! I'll be hokage in no time" he said this while pumping out his fists in the air, his whiskered face stretching into his signature foxy grin, with teeth shinning brightly.

"i guess the special addition is on the house then" responded Ayame giggling slightly at his antics.

"wow! This day keeps getting better and better"


	2. The confrontation within

After his venture at the Ichirakus, we found Naruto meandering around aimlessly on the streets of konoha, with the team placements scheduled next week, Naruto has a full week all to himself. The upside is he's got a full week training himself, with no interruptions, no annoying classmates to deal with. The downside is it can quickly get repetitive, not to mention boring doing the same thing. Then again he can always prank the villagers just for fun, although it takes a lot of willpower for him not to succumb to the urge to do a prank that may prove to be fatal or dangerous to the villagers. Not with the Anbu constantly keeping watch on him and Danzo's Root forces tailing his every move.

'I gotta give the old man credit, he's a lot more dangerous and perceptive than I take him for' Thought Naruto inwardly frowning. He grudgingly respects the old man even if he doesn't like him, he has to admit Danzo is the only one who can potentially foil his plans, not only that he has power both politically and physically. He will not underestimate Danzo again, not since that day.

 **Flashback** **2 years earlier** "come back here Naruto! The Hokage has no appointment with you today" Angrily yelled the Secretary, wearing a business suit and a pencil skirt reaching her knees, her hair wrapped up in a tight bun with square glasses adorning her face. She hastily tried to prevent him from going in by grabbing on to his arms.

"Hey! let me go, let me go you old hag! I can go whenever I want, the old man knows this, why can't you? Or are you blind to see that? Maybe you need to retire, yah! You suck at this job, you don't even realize I've been coming in and out here since day one! "shouted back Naruto, now starting to get annoyed at her attempts to keep him away from the old man. She always tries to kick him out of the tower whenever he tries to see the old man, as it had become a tradition for him to visit the Hokage once a month. He had realized the benefits of this, it allows him to further establish the trust the old man has at him. It also allows him to subtly check the security the tower has, just in case there might come a chance to break in the tower and steal the scroll containing forbidden jutsus, and copy all its secrets.

Then an idea hit, he almost smacked himself for not thinking it sooner. With the Anbu security guarding the place temporary out, now it's the perfect time" Hey lady, how about we make a... deal you might say"

The woman was surprised by the quick change of attitude. The boy was no longer shouting and resisting her attempts. He stood still making no movement, calmingly watching her with a face still, with no emotions, his now cold blue eyes staring at her calculating.

" Ehh... What" Asked the woman, now suddenly feeling nervous at the eerily calm stare the boy was giving her, she almost missed the slight narrowing of his eyes at her response.

" I don't like repeating myself Misato-san"said Naruto calmingly disengaging of his right arm from her now loosened grip" How about we make a deal, in fact I'll be frank about it: you let me go to the Hokage whenever I please or I'll tell the old man you called me Kyuubi and the 4th Hokage should have just killed me" He said this while giving her a sly smirk that was beginning to adorn his face. His eyes glinting with amusement at her shocked face she was giving him.

"y... y. you can't do that! You have no proof" Stuttered the woman named Misato. She slightly began to step back from the boy, his smirk widening further at her actions. "you wouldn't dare! I have been working for the Hokage for years, he won't believe you! No! he won't" Denied the the woman, now fully realizing the implications of what he just said, not only would she lose her job, she would also be swiftly executed for breaking the law, the 3rd Hokage placed regarding the status of the Kyuubi. ' He's blackmailing me! The little brat, and how did he know about the Kyuubi? Who told him?' Thought Misato now fully panicking.

" Yes he will, you probably don't realize this but the Hokage trusts me more than you" Now shrugging his shoulders.

" I mean how else could I know about the Kyuubi, unless you told me, after all its no secret that you hate me" Now he was slowly inching forward towards her, causing her to take a step back, mockingly he asked" So tell me why should the Hokage believe you, after all the shit you put me through"

At the Hokage's office which was a spacious room, filled with paintings of the previous Hokages, there sat an old man smoking his pipe looking over at the village which was in clear view from the tower. His eyes obscured by the red and white hat. The creases and lines adorn his face showing his advanced age. " Tell me Danzo, why are you tailing the boy? Hasn't his actions shown you that he is not a threat?"

" He has, but I'm not convinced" Said the man called Danzo, his face wrapped in bandages showing only his right side of the face, which was filled with scars with one eye visible.

The Hokage's eyes slightly narrowed at his response, he wasn't surprised though, everyone is a threat to Danzo unless he has them under his control, the nine tailed jinchuriki being his latest obsession" I have already decided we're gonna leave the boy alone. You don't have to worry about him being a threat to this village, I already have one of my Anbu watching him and I have my own crystal ball observing him whenever his out training on his own" His eyes were now fully visible with none of his kindness, his stare laced with chakra bore on to Danzo's own single eye.

But Danzo was unmoved by his attempt at intimidating him, his lone eye showing nothing beneath. The staring contest was interrupted by a loud boom, as the door slammed open.

" Oh hey old man! I hope I'm not interrupting anything" Said a now sheepish Naruto, appearing at the beside the door, his hands in his pockets, his eyes closed into slits, his foxy grin plastered on his face.

The 3rd Hokage couldn't help but sigh at the boy's antics' At least the meeting is over now' Wryly thought the old man" what did you do this time Naruto? Can't you see I'm in a meeting? " He said this while subtly glancing at Danzo, hoping he could get the message to leave but the scarred man sat still on his chair, staring intensively at Naruto.

" I swear old man I didn't do anything this time, that basterd landlord cut off my electricity supply and he dares overcharging me for it! "

The Hokage's eyes narrowed at this but they quickly returned to his normal visage" Don't worry Naruto I'll take care of it, in fact... Neko-san? "

" Yes Hokage-sama" said a feminine voice and out appeared an Anbu startling Naruto, wearing a cat mask, with purple hair flowing down to her back.

" Get me Tezumi-san immediately" Commanded the Hokage, with that done with his eyes returned to the two occupants in his office who were both staring intensively at each other" Danzo I'm afraid... "

" I'll let myself out Hokage-sama, I have seen enough" He said this while looking at Naruto,after a second longer observing him, he slowly walked out of the door, his cane leaving behind a clanking sound as his form slowly disappeared.

" Hey old man, who was that old crow? Was he bothering you, he looks mean" said a puzzled Naruto looking at the direction the Danzo disappeared in.

" That's Danzo shimura, a respected member of the Council. Keep away from him, he's dangerous" Warned the Hokage, who was now wondering about his intentions' What are you gonna do now that you have seen the boy Danzo? '

" Oh, I don't plan to... For now" Naruto quietly muttered to himself, glancing back for the last time at the door before returning his full attention to the Hokage.

 **Flashback end** **Present time**

The stare the old man was giving him back then, told him one thing' He can see right through me, and he's gonna do something about it, but what? ' Inwardly thought Naruto, now seeing he had subconsciously walked to the training ground which was empty' Whatever it is, I'm ready for the challenge' Now a full blown smirk was adorning his face, his eyes glittering with excitement at the challenge ahead.

 **Chapter ends**


	3. Team placements:A new sensei

"Move out of the seat Naruto! " Yelled a pink haired girl, grabbing Naruto by his ear.

" But Sakura-chan, this is the best seat! " Whined Naruto comically waving his arms at the air. Inwardly he was irritated, training all night, he woke up exhausted this morning, he had to drag himself off the bed, only to back asleep as soon as he reached the Academy, only to now wake up being screamed at by Sakura and Ino both surrounded by other equally screaming fangirls, all fighting for the seat he was occupying, which was next to their object of affection Sasuke Uchiha.

"What are you even doing here Naruto? I thought you failed" Questioned a young boy, with spiky black hair, wearing a hoodie with fur on its sleeves, his pup sized white dog sitting on his shoulder let out a small bark in agreement.

" Can't you see my headband dog breath? " Rhetorically asked Naruto pointing at his leaf headband tied on his forehead but he was quickly shoved face down on the floor by an impatient Sakura, with the rest of the girls stepping over him leaving footprints on his face.

Watching the scene on the crystal ball was the Hokage with the rest of the jonins observing their assigned team.

"Tch! This year graduates don't look like much, look at those fangirls! " Said a random jonin, seeing the poor Uchiha being backed into a corner as various fangirls fight each other for the spot to sit next to him.

" Not all of them are hopeless, I heard the Uchiha is the rookie of the year, and that Nara kid is said to have the IQ of over 200. It's too bad I won't have both of them on my team" said a jonin tanned face jonin with a cigarette hanging on to his mouth.

" Most of them are clan heirs, so you better hope they don't fail the survival test or you'll have the council knocking on your door" Warned the aged Hokage, looking at a slouched jonin standing at the corner, with gravity defying hair. His face mostly covered by the black mask and his left eye was hidden bellow the wide headband.

"I'm sure they'll do fine" Nonchalantly said the jonin, his single eye mostly focused at the small red book he was reading.

"I'm serious Kakashi, if you... " But the Hokage suddenly paused, as he noticed through the crystal ball, the chunin teacher Iruka was announcing the class to their assigned team" It looks like it's time to meet your assigned team, you're all dismissed except for you Kakashi" With that command the rest of the jonins filtered out, leaving only the two occupants in the room.

It's been three hours since jonin senseis came and picked up their future students, leaving only Naruto along with his new comrades, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, the latter kept fawning and constantly asking the Uchiha for a date only to be ignored and Naruto has long since resumed his interrupted sleep. Both of the conscious genin hopefuls perked up as the door to their classroom slid open, it's safe to say they were surprised by the man's appearance.

"Mmmh, my first impression of you is... Eh you might want to wake your teammate" Drawled the jonin named Kakashi, while glancing up from his book at the sleeping boy.

"Wake up Naruto! You're embarrassing us in front of our sensei" Screeched Sakura, kicking him off the desk.

"Okay! Okay I'm awake, jeez no need kick me Sakura-chan, you know I do anything for you" Whimpered Naruto, rubbing his eye, beginning to notice the jonin" Is that our sensei, if he is you're late" His finished his sentence with a shout pointing at him.

" Well you see a black cat crossed my path... So i had to take the other way around" Sheepishly said the jonin scratching his head, his lone eye closed in a U shape.

' Is this guy really a jonin?' inwardly thought Sasuke narrowing his eyes at the jonin.

"Now meet me up at the roof" With those commands he flickered out of existing with a poof, leaving behind smoke and leaves.

" What the... " Said a puzzled Naruto only to be dragged out by Sakura who was leaving along with Sasuke. They went up at the roof top, to find their sensei already there, sitting on the roof reading the small red book in his hand.

" All of you sit. Since we're about to be a team, let's get to know each other a bit" said Kakashi putting down his book, Sakura raised up her hand and asked what they were suppose to say' Great! I got a teacher's pet on my team' Thought the sighing Kakashi, he answered" Just tell me your name, your likes and dislikes, hobbies and dreams for the future"

" You should start sensei, since we nothing about you" Suggested Sakura who was curious about the jonin.

" All right, my name is Hake Kakashi, i have many likes and very few dislikes, my hobbies...

Eh you wouldn't understand and I have lots of dreams" He finished with a giggle. Then he nodded at Sakura to start hers.

" Well... I'm Haruno Sakura and I'm twelve. I like... " She blushed while quickly casting a glance at Sasuke" I hate Ino-pig and Naruto! " Screeched Sakura at Naruto's direction causing him to cover his ears, then suddenly she started to blush more while looking at Sasuke" And my dream is to... " At this she let out a giggle causing Sasuke to slowly shuffle away from her.

'A fangirl! She's probably focused more on boys than being a kunoichi' Thought Kakashi, then he looked at Naruto who got the hint and cleared his throat, fixing his headband for his grand introduction.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen, Sakura-chan, the old man, Iruka-sensei,old man ichiraku and his daughter. I hate the few minutes it takes to cook ramen and Sasuke-teme! My dream is to become the greatest Hokage! " Naruto boisterously ended his introduction with his fist pumped, giving his sensei his signature foxy grin. Inwardly he was rolling his eyes at his stupid display' I guess I got a flare for dramatics'

" Um... You weird" Deadpan Kakashi, he looked at the Uchiha who also took the hint.

" My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have few likes and dislikes. My dream... No my ambition is to revive my clan and kill a certain man" His voice was dark and cold, filled with hatred Kakashi internally winced' He still hasn't given up his path'

" Now with the introductions over, let's get to the real crux of the matter" Said Kakashi giving them an intense stare.

" What do you mean sensei? " Sakura asked in confusion, much to Kakashi's amusement.

" Now tell me, did you really think to be a genin you only had to make some clones? "

Naruto and Sasuke frowned realizing what was being said. Sakura only looked around in confusion causing Kakashi to chuckle.

" Hey, what's so funny sensei? " Asked Sakura now irritated being left out of the loop.

" You see Sakura, only jonin senseis can decide if one is fit to be a ninja. That's why tomorrow, we're gonna have a survival test to see if you're worthy to be genins" Said Kakashi standing up " Meet me at training ground 8 at 6 am sharp.. Oh and don't eat breakfast or you'll puke" Before any of them can protest, he disappeared off in poof.

Naruto mentally sighed at the man's antics but didn't say anything as he too stood up and went home, not before asking Sakura out on a date just to keep up appearances, the only response he got was a smack on the head' I hope they don't senseis advice seriously' Thought Naruto, although he highly doubted they won't. Which brings the day to an end.

 **Chapter end**


	4. The survival test

A/N: sorry guys I took so long to publish this story. I admit I kind of lost the motivation to write but I'm back now. Now here's another chapter and I hope you'll like it.

 **Chapter 4**

After a good night sleep, and breakfast. The sight that greeted Naruto when he walked to the training ground was amusing to say the least' It appears they took sensei's advice seriously and it looks like they been here for a while ' thought Naruto, amused at the two genins who were sitting under the shade of a tree, looking tired and hungry.

"Naruto! You're late!" growled Sakura, angrily pointing a finger at him.

" But Sakura-chan! I ran out of ramen this morning" said Naruto, slowly backing away from Sakura who was advancing on him" So I had to go ramen shopping and stop by at Ichiraku for a quick snack"

" Liar! You were goofing off as always. Sasuke-kun and I have been here for three hours!" said an angry Sakura ready to pound Naruto to the ground.

" Sakura, stop it"

Sakura paused on her activity, and looked back at Sasuke, surprised that he spoke to her for the first time this morning.

" But Sasuke-kun, can't you see he's holding us back" said Sakura, surprised that he's defending Naruto" We can't have him making a fool of us at a time like this"

" You're both making a fool out me, we're supposed to be Shinobi, so both of you act like one" said Sasuke, tired of their antics' I wish sensei would hurry up already' thought Sasuke, wondering where their sensei was, he was anxious to test himself against the jonin.

" Ah jeez, thanks teme, at least somebody is on my side" said a surprised Naruto, giving Sasuke a big grin.

" I'm not doing this for you dobe, I don't want both of you holding me back" said a now indifferent Sasuke, returning his eyes back at sky.

"Ahh you guys waited for me all this time? I'm honored" said a voice and out came Kakashi, who was casually strolling towards the three, his little red book in his right hand.

" You're late!" both Sakura and Naruto shouted at him at the same time, both pointing their fingers at him, with angry expressions on their faces. Sasuke just casually glanced him and resumed staring at the sky.

" Now now, no need to be angry I was just lost on the road of life" said Kakashi, giving them an eye smile.

' He doesn't even bother giving us a proper excuse' thought the genins, with massive sweat drops on their heads.

"Now time to start. Do you know what are these? " questioned Kakashi, putting his book on his pouch. Then taking out 2 little golden bells, jingling from his fingers.

" Uh... bells" answered a confused Sakura. Wondering what their purpose was.

" Very good Sakura. No wonder you're the brightest graduate to come out of the academy " mockingly said Kakashi, causing Sakura to scowl at him" Now if one of you manage to catch one of these from me, you pass"

" But sensei there are only two bells" stated a confused Sakura.

" Ah glad you noticed, It means one of you won't make it" said Kakashi, enjoying their shocked reactions" You come at me with the intention to kill. I'll give you 1 hour. Time to begin! " continued Kakashi putting down a clock on a branch.

Immediately the two genins vanished to the trees, leaving Naruto who was grinning at Kakashi ready to fight.

" Aren't you gonna join your friends? " questioned Kakashi, his red book back in his hand.

" Nah! I never run away from a fight, I can't do that if I'm gonna be Hokage" proudly proclaimed Naruto, puffing out his chest" Besides I'm way too awesome for that"

" Mhmm.. im gonna say it again you're weird one" said Kakashi, not bothering looking up at him.

" Get ready to lose! Shadow clone jutsu! " three identical clones appeared beside him, advancing on Kakashi with their fists cocked back ready to strike him. Only for Kakashi to casually sidestep them, chopped them on the back causing them to explode in puffs of smoke.

" impressive for someone at your age to perform a B ranked jutsu" casually commented Kakashi, his posture slouched, not even looking up from his book" Unfortunately you're too slow to strike at me"

" I was just getting started sensei, don't underestimate me!" shouted Naruto, rushing at him with sudden speed that took Kakashi by surprise. Naruto appeared behind him ready to strike, Kakashi blocked the strike. He swatted away the other strike. He kicked Naruto on the stomach with his left knee causing to him cough up blood. Then he held him in a strong grip.

" Did you really think you had a chance against a jonin?" questioned a now serious Kakashi" You might have surprised me with your speed but against someone of my caliber... It means nothing"

" Oh really sensei? How about this! Exploding shadow clone jutsu! " loudly exclaimed Naruto as two more clones appeared behind Kakashi, grabbing him in a strong hold. They started to glow, In an instant they exploded with a loud boom causing debris to fly everywhere within the surrounding area.

Sasuke who was observing the fight rocked back from the explosion, falling with his back on a nearby tree with a large thud.

' How did the dope get that strong?, the power behind that jutsu, only someone with a large chakra reserve can do that ' inwardly thought Sasuke,getting up from his sudden crash. Sasuke was forced to admit, the dope has improved since their last fight at the academy' But he's not the only with a few tricks up his sleeves'

' Didn't expect that to work, is he dead? ' thought Naruto, crouching down on the ground. He had been hiding all this time on a nearby tree while Kakashi was busy fighting the clones.

He calming surveyed the scene, finding no trace of Kakashi.

' Dammit! I'm gonna kill Naruto for this' fumed a now dirty and bruised Sakura, brushing of the dirt clinging on her clothes. A loud snapping sound caught her attention, only to appear a badly bruised and limping Sasuke, his clothes torn, heavily bleeding all over.

" Sakura... hhhelp me.. Naruto.. " he didn't finish his sentence as he passed out.

" Sasuke-kun! " Sakura let a loud terrified scream, then she fainted in shock.

The scream was so loud it Sasuke attention who was nearby' Sakura, I wonder what happened to her' thought Sasuke as he walked at the direction he heard the scream.

" And where do you think you're going Sasuke? " mocked a voice behind him causing him to immediately turn back, his kunai already in his hands.

Kakashi casually appeared from the bushes, his book in his hand, apparently unharmed from the explosion,his whole being remaining untouched.

" You!, I thought you were dead" said a now immediately tense Sasuke, preparing for the inevitable fight.

" Oh, you thought a simple explosion was enough to take me out? " rhetorically asked Kakashi. Not really bothered by the glare shooting his was.

" Unlike the dobe sensei, you're facing an Uchiha, a clan of warriors bred to fight! " passionately said Sasuke, with sudden speed that caused Kakashi's eyes to widen. Sasuke launched a vicious kick at Kakashi who immediately put his book away and blocked the kick with his other arm. Sasuke did a back flip, he began rapidly doing handsigns.

"Fire style: fire ball jutsu" suddenly a large fire ball came out of his mouth causing Kakashi to widen his lone eye, he quickly substituted himself with a nearby log which was immediately incinerated along with everything around.

' Did I get him ? No, I didn't put enough chakra to kill him, so where could he be' inwardly thought Sasuke anxiously looking around but founding no sight of the jonin.

' Is he behind me? No, is he above? No, then his... ' he didn't get to finish his thoughts, as two hands appeared on the ground, attaching themselves to his legs, pulling Sasuke down to the ground, leaving only his head visible.

"My my, so much for being an Uchiha, i guess you're not so different after all" mockingly said Kakashi, looking unconcerned at the glare he was giving him.

"Mhmm it looks like we're out of time. None of you came close to getting these bells. Oh well better luck next time" shrugged Kakashi, not any hurry at getting him out" I'll go fetch Sakura while you find Naruto, be quick" with those words he walked out, leaving Sasuke to his fate.

' He doesn't even bother trying to help me' thought an annoyed Sasuke questioning the man's sanity.

" Well what can I say to you three? You all failed. Some of you even performed poorly, especially you Sakura, I expected better of you" said Kakashi giving the genins an intense stare" As for you two, I admit you both surprised me, you performed better than I expected especially you Naruto, but none of you came even close to getting the bells, both of you were too cocky and quick to rush in" Kakashi continued his critique causing Sakura look down in shame.

' Am I really that weak? Even Naruto did better than me' Sakura thought to herself, feeling pathetic at her embarrassing performance.

Sasuke showed no outward reaction but inwardly he was fuming' Dammit! How am I gonna get stronger now, i have to kill that man'

Naruto was the only one who was unconcerned, he just took out two bells from his pouch and tossed them to his shocked teammates.

" Here are the real bells sensei. I gave it to both of them, so do we pass? " casually asked Naruto enjoying their shocked expressions they were giving him.

" Naruto, explain" demanded Kakashi checking his bells, now he got a closer look at them. He noticed bit silver on them' He must have switched them while I was distracted by the clones. Clever' deduced Kakashi impressed by the boys cunning. He really did underestimate him.

" I'm sure you already figured it out by now. I don't need to explain myself" said a smug Naruto, folding his arms.

" Naruto, what is this? What's going on?" demanded Sasuke tired of being left out of the loop.

" Well you see teme, while Kakashi was fighting the clones,he was distracted enough that I managed to quickly replace his bells with mine which are fake, Kakashi-sensei didn't notice a thing" proudly said Naruto giving him a smug which caused Sasuke to scowl at him.

" I suppose I did underestimate you, it's not like I expected you to do that. By the way, mind telling us, how did you have the foresight to know I was gonna test you with the bells? " asked a now curious Kakashi.

" Oh that, easy, I bribed the old man with a certain little book. In exchange he'll tell me a little bit about your test" answered Naruto giving Kakashi a knowing look when he mentioned the book.

" I see... You do know you'll be the only one going back to the academy, since you gave your friends the two bells" said Kakashi, wondering how he would get out of this one.

" Nah it's alright. It's not like it will be the first time anyway" shrugged Naruto, looking unconcerned.

" But Naruto, I can't have this. You deserve it more than I do" said Sakura touched by the boy's kindness. She shoved the bell to Naruto" You take it"

Sasuke just tossed the bell back to Naruto" I don't like being handed things. I'm not a charity case dobe" he didn't want anything from Naruto. He had too much pride for that.

Kakashi sighed at the trio's antics. How can he fail them when they all act adorable around each other" Well my cute little genins, thanks to Naruto's noble sacrifice you all... Pass" said Kakashi giving them an eye smile.

" Yay! True love conquers all" Yelled a happy Sakura' And it's all thanks to Naruto, as a thank you gift , maybe I should set him up with Ino' inwardly thought Sakura, with both Naruto and Ino out of the way. She can Sasuke all to herself. She mentally patted herself on the back for thinking such a brilliant plan.

" Well now with that out of the way. All three of you, meet me tomorrow at the Hokage tower for our first mission. Be there at 7 am sharp" with those commands he disappeared in a shunshin.

" Hey Sakura! I was wondering if you'll like to go to Ichiraku with me " said Naruto not really caring if she declined or not.

" Don't push it Naruto! Besides there is already someone who already wants to go out with you"

" Ehh... Really?Who?"asked Naruto surprised there is someone who would like to go out with him.

" Sorry I won't tell, but you'll see her" with those mysterious words delivered, she walked the opposite direction while Sasuke has already left living only Naruto.

' This is it, It's finally time to make my move' thought Naruto, plotting the next course of action, disappearing to the bushes.

 **Chapter ends**

 **Aah finely it took forever to finally complete it. I admit I'm not good at writing action scenes, hopefully it wasn't too shabby. I'll like to hear your thoughts, maybe a review would be nice. With out wasting time. See ya**.


	5. The unexpected meeting

A/N:Here's another chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

 **Chapter 5**

" Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop! How can I help you sir!" said Ino putting on a cheerful smile. It was turning out to be a dull, repetitive day for Ino, with Shikamaru playing shogi with their sensei, Choji probably busy stuffing his face with food. It's safe to say she's been saddled with one lazy team ' Sakura is probably doing missions, training and getting stronger' thought Ino, inwardly frowning at the thought of Sakura getting stronger than her while she sits around doing nothing.

" Um... miss? " she was broken out of her thoughts by the young man raising an eyebrow at her apparently amused at her lack of attention.

" Oh!... Can you repeat that for me? " said an embarrassed Ino, It was a good thing her dad wasn't here to see this. She would have gotten a full scolding for her lack of attention.

With the rest of the day going on as usual until no customers came, Ino was about to doze of but she was once again interrupted by another jingle of the bell indicating someone was entering.

" Sorry, we closed for today..." Ino was about to continue until she saw the person entering. Lo and behold Naruto Uzumaki, the class clown of the academy and the most annoying person she ever met. It's safe to say she had a lot of opinions about Naruto none of them are positive.

" What do you want Naruto? Can't you see we're closed" said Ino, not really in the mood for Naruto's antics, she has a pounding headache and Naruto's presence wasn't helping it.

" Ah... well Ino, you see Sakura-chan told me to come here" was Naruto's reply, giving her a big smile but Ino just frowned at him in confusion.

" To do what exactly? " asked Ino, wondering what her rival was up to by sending Naruto here. Naruto didn't answer, he just stepped closer to her, stopping at the front of the desk, inching his face closer towards hers.

Confused and weirded out by his bizarre behavior, she inched her head away from him" What are you doing Naruto? Get away from me! "

Naruto stopped and then he gave her an apologetic smile, scratching his head, his eyes focused on the floor" Sorry... Its just that you kinda... smell nice" was the sheepish reply Ino got explaining his sudden strange behavior.

" Oh!... Ah... thanks... i guess, just don't do it again" warned Ino, increasingly confused at the sudden turn of events. She wondered whether this was a prank or not. She never got a somewhat compliment from Naruto, not matter how weird it is' Did Sakura put him up to this' she thought to herself" Hey you still haven't told me what are you doing here"

" I'm just waiting for my mystery date. Sakura said she was going to be here" nonchalantly said Naruto looking around the shop" Nice place you got here, I might just buy some flowers before I leave" complimented Naruto, he already figured that out Sakura planned to set him up with Ino. He just decided to roll with it and have some fun' At least she isn't Hinata' wryly thought Naruto, thinking of the shy hyuuga girl who keeps stalking him whenever he's out taking a stroll on the streets.

" Oh.. " was the only reply Ino managed to utter, not really knowing what to say. Nothing was making any sense to her since Naruto came to her shop. She also wondered who was his date' Could it be Hinata? ' Ino questioned herself, thinking of the Hyuuga who has a not so secret crush him.

" Hey Naruto, what have you guys been up to? Gotten any missions lately? " asked a now curious Ino, wanting to know about Sakura' s progress in training and about Sasuke ' That forehead had better not gotten her filthy claws on him!'

" Oh nothing special, our sensei is lame, all we get are some boring d-rank missions and doing physical exercises, here I thought Kakashi-sensei was cool" replied a disappointed Naruto, his hands stuffed in his pockets, inwardly he was bored at the sudden questions shooting his way which would no doubt lead to asking about Sasuke.

" At least I'm not the only one with a crappy sensei" commented Ino thinking of her own team, she was glad to know Sakura is in the same situation as hers" What about Sasuke?, how is he handling it? "

" Oh Sasuke?, he's being a good sport about it and before you ask, yes they are now dating. Sasuke finally accepted her" said Naruto, waiting for the inevitable explosive reaction, he wasn't disappointed as Ino let out a 'what!' then she got up from her seat and held him by the scruff of his neck, her expression filled with anger and disbelief.

" Tell me you lying Naruto!, there's no way Sasuke would... No! Not with that forehead" demanded Ino, refusing to believe it but Naruto just at her with sad, pitying eyes. This made her more angry and little hurt at the thought that Sakura might have betrayed her.

" I'm sorry Ino but I was there, I saw it with my own eyes" said Naruto his voice and expression filled with uncharacteristic seriousness" You're not the only one hurt you know, that bastard even smirked at me while holding her hand" continued Naruto appearing angry at his mentioning of Sasuke. Seeing Ino was about to cry, he quickly held her in passionate embrace much to her surprise, she didn't protest the action though. She lost herself in his warm embrace.

After some time, she disengaged herself from him, her face flushed with embarrassment at letting him see her moment of weakness. Naruto just gave her a sympathetic smile, seemingly not bothered by her display" Sorry about that, I'm probably ruining your upcoming date with my mood"

"Nah it's okay, she probably ditched me anyway. It's not like anyone would want to hang out with me" said Naruto looking sad at the end.

" Hey! How about this. Seeing that we're both bit of loners and blondes. How about we stick together, you know become friends" said Ino, trying to cheer up the fellow blonde. She is like everyone else in the village aware of his pariah status and the older people's hatred and indifference to him. She doesn't know why, nor did she care before but seeing him now and getting a chance to talk to him outside of class. He is not so bad, maybe he's misunderstood' And surprisingly enough, he isn't annoying as I thought he would be'

" That would be great Ino! You are probably the only one to ever ask for my friendship. It would be nice talking to someone my age for once" Naruto said this while giving her a great big smile, which she tentatively returned, she still wasn't used to being nice to him" Think about all the things we can do together! Like training, taking you out for ramen. We don't need Sakura and Sasuke, it'll be just the two of us. Ino I swear by the end of the month you'll be strongest Kunoichi to ever grace the village! " ambitiously declared an excited Naruto. Ino couldn't help but smile at his infectious enthusiasm.

" All right Naruto, by the end of the month we're both gonna kick some ass! " equally declared Ino, her earlier mood forgotten, now she was thinking of ways getting her revenge on Sakura, she also planned to include Naruto in it.

" I better go now, it's getting late, I'll probably drop by tomorrow if I'm not too busy,. See ya! " declared Naruto walking to the door not before wishing her a good night sleep.

Ino was left alone to her thoughts' And here I thought it was going to be another dull day, mhmm i wonder who his date was going to be. It's definitely not Hinata, she wouldn't do that to him' she also wondered what would the upcoming days entail but with Naruto by her side it will probably be not boring.

 **Chapter end**


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